An Unexpected Visitor
by gingersnap3
Summary: While Wesley shows his class project to Guinan, the crew of the Enterprise gets an unexpected surprise.
1. Wes' Experiment Gone Awry

_**This is a little something I wrote 16 years ago. My sister really helped me get this ready for my fanfiction site. Thanks to her, it's now going to be a multi chapter fic. The story line came from me, but most of the fine details came from her. Thanks to what she wrote, I was able to write in more detail too. What Christina wrote really inspired me to add more details to my work. I hope you guys like this. We worked hard to finish the first chapter. The next chapter should be done in a week or two.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek. Well, I do own a few Star Trek dvds and books. However, I do own the character of Julia.**_

**An Unexpected Visitor**

**Chapter 1: Wes' Experiment Gone Awry**

Early in the morning, Wesley awoke to the sounds of a beeping alarm clock. He reached over and gently pushed down on the small lever to stop the sound. He looked to the right of the offensive alarm clock that awoke him from his sleep. Lovingly, Wes glanced at the hologram of a handsome black haired man in a Starfleet uniform. 'Well dad, I guess I'd better get up; mom is going to kill me if my teachers send a note home again about my being late to class.'

Sleepily, he got out of bed and walked over to the sink to begin washing his face. Today would be a big day. It was the last day that the students had to finish their projects for school. Unfortunately, Wesley found it hard to sleep the night before. He was too anxious about school the next day. All night he had waking nightmares of not getting his project done in time or getting a bad grade. Fortunately, the feel of the cool water trickling down his face was enough to jolt the young boy awake.

The delicious scent of his mothers cooking wafted into the room. 'Mmm, smells like mom's making toast and eggs again. I'll never get tired of her breakfasts.' Upon finishing his morning routine, Wes heard the wonderful sound of his mother's voice. "Wesley, your breakfast is ready. Please come and eat before it gets cold."

'Good, I'm starving.' "Coming mother." Wesley grabbed all the things he would need for school for that day. He walked out into the main room, where a glass of juice and a plate of eggs and buttered toast were waiting for him. Wesley began walking towards the small round table and sat in front of his plate of food. The table was centered with red roses in a thin, green vase. He waited for his mother to come into the room with her juice glass and her plate of food.

"Wesley, how many times do I have to tell you, you don't have to wait for me to sit at the table before you start eating?" Wesley was about to take a bite of his toast when he paused to answer his mothers question. "I know mother, but I like eating with you. Between my studies and your work in the lab and the sickbay, we rarely get to talk like we do around the table during meals."

She looked at the sad expression on her son's face; guilt was evident in her own stormy eyes. "I'm sorry Wes; I wish I could take more time off to be with you. I'll speak to the Captain about the two of us taking a vacation sometime."

"Wow, that would be great mom." Wesley took a big bite of egg. "Mother, this is so good." Beverly beamed with pride at her son's compliment. "Wesley, don't speak with your mouth full, but thank you for the compliment anyway."

In between bites of toast and egg, Wes spoke to his mother about his plans for the day. "We have to finish up our projects today. I'm almost done, so I hope I'll get a good grade. Our teacher said that we would get bonus points if we finish before the deadline. The deadline is around dinner time, so I should be able to make it if I hurry."

Beverly looked at her son in admiration. He was always trying as hard as he could to be the best student on board the star ship. "Alright son, just be sure that you're careful. You don't want anything going wrong with your project. You might end up getting a bad grade if you're too careless."

"Don't worry mom; I'll be careful. By the way, I may be a little late coming home. I thought I might go to Ten Forward and show Guinan what I've been working on in class. She's always helping me and giving me advice so I wanted to show her how much talking to her has helped me in my studies."

Beverly lowered her juice glass, picked up her head, and smiled at her son lovingly. "Wes, that's an excellent idea. I know Guinan loves your little visits. I may not be here when you come back though. Unfortunately, I have some lab work to catch up on." Wesley rose from the table. He walked to the dishwasher and loaded it with the two rose patterned plates, the juice glasses, and the silverware.

"Bye mom, I'm going to class now." She rose from the table to give her son a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, Wes." Wesley wiped the kiss away and teased his mom about her wet kisses. Dr. Crusher waved goodbye as Wesley left. 'That boy certainly is his father's son. He was always teasing me about something or another. Sometimes I really miss him.' She breathed a sigh of reminiscence and turned away from the door. She made her way into her own room to get ready for the day ahead.

Wesley rushed to class, almost in a run, nearly bumping into Worf in the process. Lieutenant Worf's fierce warrior expression made the young boy cringe in fear. Slowly, Wesley backed away from the Klingon. He apologized profusely, which only made the Klingon even angrier. In a growl he snarled, "Watch where you're going. And don't let it happen again!" Wesley quickly got out of Worf's way and continued walking briskly to class. Worf let out a small growl then he continued traveling down the corridor.

In a small room designated as a classroom, Wesley and his fellow students worked diligently on their class assignments. Each student sat at a small rectangular table. Wes had a small, silver plated machine in front of him. On it was a red and a gold knob, with which he could turn his machine to various frequencies and a white switch that turned it off and on. This project was to be a major part of their final grade for the semester. Wesley felt sure that his project would be picked as the best of the class.

After a few hours, Wesley managed to finish his project. He brought it to his teacher and laid it on his desk. "Sir, I'm finished with my project. May I show it to you now?" The teacher raised his eyes from his book and nodded his head. "I'm impressed Wesley, I assumed that everyone would still be working through to the deadline. Maybe I should have brought a shorter book to read. Go ahead and show me your project. What is it again that you were making?" He rifled through his papers until he found the one with Wes' name on it. "Oh yes, I remember now, it was a hologram projector."

Wesley began turning the knobs until it was at the right frequency. He noticed that one of them was a little harder to turn than the other one. He glanced up at his teacher to see if he noticed. He was glad to see that his teacher's expression hadn't changed. When each knob was placed in the correct position, he flipped the white switch to turn the machine on. The colors that now ebbed from the machine were magnificent. Everyone in the room stared at his project in wonder.

Wesley spoke into the machine. "Show me a waterfall." All at once, the colors pulled themselves together in the shape of a silver, sheened waterfall. Sounds of 'Oh, that's so beautiful.' could be heard from the girls in the room. The boys just stood there and stared in envy. Wes was the smartest in the class. He never boasted about it except to his mother, but the other boys were still jealous of his grades. The waterfall subsided and the colors returned to their original state. Again, Wes spoke into his machine. "Show me a meadow." Just as before, the colors pulled themselves together until they formed a meadow. It was green and hilly and had a small tree standing next to a large rock. He turned off the switch and reset the two knobs.

"Very good Mr. Crusher. I will have your grade for you tomorrow." Wesley was very pleased to hear this. He felt a little relieved that it was all finished. The only thing that concerned him was that his teacher might want to keep his project overnight. That way, Wes wouldn't be able to show it to Guinan today. "Um... sir, should I leave it here for you to grade or may I take it home with me today?" To Wes' delight, the teacher told him he would be allowed to take his project home. There had been incidents in the past of someone playing with another student's project and ruining it. As a result, the new policy implemented was that no projects were to be left overnight. Since he was finished, his teacher dismissed him early.

He was anxious to show Guinan what he felt was his best work ever. Wesley gathered his worksheets, books, and class project. Up until now, the anticipation of the end of class seemed like only a dream. Now the anticipation of seeing Guinan in Ten Forward gave him something new to look forward to. Before leaving the classroom, Wesley spoke to his classmates and wished them luck on their projects. Now it was time to meet Guinan. He left the classroom and continued on his way toward Ten Forward, the favorite watering hole of the Enterprise crew.

Meanwhile, Guinan was in the process of cleaning the stains from the counter left by her rose-colored red wine glasses. At this time of the day, her lounge felt very empty and lonely indeed. 'This place doesn't really start getting busy until around dinner time.' She then heard the whoosh of the two big metal doors opening. In anticipation, she looked around to see who it could be. To her surprise, it was Wesley Crusher. The boy had a grin a mile wide. He walked over to the tall bar counter and sat on one of the red cushioned bar stools.

Puzzled, she asked, "Hello, Wesley. Why are you out of school so early? You aren't playing hooky are you?" Then she noticed the small silver object that Wesley had set on her counter. "What have you got there?"

"Well, I got out early because I finished my project and I wanted to bring it to show you. I told my mom that I would stop here after class. Would you like to see what it does?" Guinan cleared off the counter and came around so she could see his contraption better. His face beamed with pride as he turned it around so she could see the varying gadgets it possessed. Guinan's eyes shown with admiration as she said, "I'd love to see what your little gadget does. Did you get graded on it yet?"

"I'll be glad to show it to you. It seems that I still have a few little bugs to work out though. I had a little trouble with one of the knobs in class. It wouldn't turn as smoothly as it should have. I don't think my teacher noticed it though, but I won't get my final grade until tomorrow."

As he reached out to turn the knobs, he felt the excitement building. He twisted the red knob slightly to the left with ease. As he began to turn the gold knob, the excitement he felt a moment ago left him, as he realized the stubborn knob wouldn't turn all the way to the right as it was supposed to. He tried with all his might until he felt his fingers starting to cramp up. He continued to try to turn the knob, but to no avail. "Wes, it's okay. Work out the bugs and you can show it to me another day." Wes was not about to give up that easily. He tired yet again and this time, success! The knob turned just slightly to the right. After taking a small break to crack the tension out of his soar knuckles, Wes tried once more to turn the devil knob. 'Yes, finally, I've got you right where I want you.' He turned on the switch and a faint light could be seen emanating from the machine.

"That's strange; this isn't what it was like before. Maybe I didn't turn the gold knob quite far enough." Wes turned off the machine then tried to turn the knob that had given him so much trouble yet again. It moved with as much ease as it did the first time he tried turning it in class. He set it to the correct frequency and switched the machine back on.

Without much of a warning, there was a high-pitched whistling sound then a huge white flash came out of the small device. Guinan's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she witnessed the sound grow louder and the white light begin to envelope all of Ten Forward. "Hurry and turn it off! You're project might ruin Ten Forward!" He flipped the white switch, but to no avail. None of the knobs was working either.

The light streamed out of his project and through the crack of the doors of Ten Forward. He ran out into the corridor. Just a little ways down, Wesley could see the white flash entering the Holodeck. Wesley went to the holodeck and cautiously opened them. There seemed to be a swirling, cloudlike atmosphere in the whole room and a constant source of flashing white light. The light subsided a bit, so that now Wesley could better see what was going on. The scene in the room changed continually from a desert oasis, to a sandy ocean shore, and then to a forest with a cascading waterfall. It continued to change like clockwork until it settled on the picturesque scene of a beautiful meadow. Wesley showed his teacher and classmates only moments before that very same meadow.

As he looked around at all the sights, he saw the familiar tree that stood beside that large rock in his hologram at school. When he looked over at that very same rock, he was awestruck. There on a moss covered rock, sat a pretty blonde girl of the tender age of fourteen. She wore a bewildered expression on her face. Walking slowly so he wouldn't startle her, he stopped directly in front of the girl. She let out a little gasp of surprise and asked, "Who are you and where am I?"

Wesley answered her in a sincere tone, "My name is Wesley Crusher and you are in our holodeck on board the starship Enterprise. What would your name be? Where are you from? Do you know how you got here?" The girl just stared at him as if he was crazy. "We're in a meadow, hello, did you hit your head or something or am I the one who hit my head? The last thing I remember I was in the yard playing with my friends at the orphanage. Oh, sorry, my name's Julia." She reached out her hand towards him. He took it and smiled down at her.

"Well Julia, you aren't actually in a meadow. As I said, you're in one of our holodecks. Maybe I should go get my mother so she can look you over. She's the ship's doctor."

"Will you be gone long? I don't like being by myself." She stood up from the rock and looked into his eyes. Through her eyes, he could see that she was frightened. "Don't worry, it is a big ship, but we have means of getting around quickly. I'll just take one of the turbolift. I know this place like the back of my hand. I practically grew up on starships. In fact, I was born on the ship that my father served on." He turned to leave and walked over to the hidden door of the holodeck. He prompted the computer to open the doors then walked out into the corridor.

_**So, what do you guys think of the story so far? Please let me know how you liked it. If we made any huge errors that you would like to see fixed, let us know. Please go to my sister's profile, green eyed feme, and see what she's done. She writes fics for anime. Review please.**_


	2. Captain's Orders

_**I'm so sorry that this was late. You can blame my sister for that, but I can't complain. I couldn't do this without her. She's the one who inspired me to take some of my old writings and get it ready for this site. This is kind of a joint venture and those are hard to do since you have to be able to work well together. We do pretty good, but we do get on each other's nerves once in a while. What sisters don't fight? Anyway, I made this chapter a little longer to make up for it. Enjoy!!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Star Trek. Paramount Pictures does.**_

**An Unexpected Visitor**

**Chapter 2: Captain's Orders**

Wesley didn't want to leave Julia alone, but he couldn't handle her situation himself. He needed to ask his mother to help him comfort and calm the young girl. He knew that she was supposed to be in the lab, but he wasn't sure if she would still be there.

Right in front of the holodeck there was an access panel to the computer. The boy thought he would find out exactly where his mother was. Carefully, he touched the screen. "Computer, what is Beverly Crusher's location?" There were only a few seconds of silence before the computer's reply. "Dr. Crusher is in Captain Picard's ready room."

Wesley was curious to know why his mother was with the Captain. His thoughts went back to the conversation they had earlier. During breakfast, the good doctor discussed with her son her plan to request shore leave. It would be nice if they could get more vacation time. It had been months since they spent any real time together.

Right down the hall there was an available turbolift. Wesley proceeded towards it and entered. As he turned around, the lift doors closed behind him. "Bridge", was all Wesley had to say before the lift began its ascent.

Within moments, the doors slid open. He stood inside nervously, and looked to Lt. Worf. "Excuse me, Lieutenant., may I enter?" Worf stared at Wesley with a slight snarl before saying, "State your business." The young boy shifted uncomfortably under the Klingon's scrutiny.

"There was an incident on the holodeck. It's a long story, but there's something I need to discuss with both my mom and the Captain." Worf considered his request for a moment, and then nodded his approval.

Wesley stepped off the turbolift, warranting a few stares from the other officers on the bridge. These seasoned Starfleet officers were not used to seeing a youth on the bridge. Wes walked right up to the Captain's ready room and requested entrance. After a couple of seconds, he heard a response. "Come!", could be heard from inside the room. Wesley always felt a little intimidated when entering the ready room. He walked in slowly, feeling apprehensive about his situation. Walking up to the desk, there Wes saw a holophoto of his mother, Beverly Crusher. Standing next to her, was his father wearing his Starfleet uniform. It put him at ease to see his father's smiling face.

Picard cleared his throat and looked at the boy standing before his desk. "What can I do for you Mr. Crusher?" Summoning his courage, he looked directly at the Captain. "I'm sorry for this intrusion Captain, but I felt I should tell someone immediately." Wes' words began in a torrent, trying to describe everything that happened that day, down to the last detail. "I thought that my mother would want to see Julia. To see if she suffered any ill effects from whatever it is that happened to her and I knew that you would want to hear of this. When I heard that the two of you were here together, it was most opportune."

(_Christina: Sounds like Wesley is spending too much time with our favorite android. Michelle: Sorry for my sister's bad attempt at humor. She's sleep deprived and really shouldn't be helping me tonight. Haha, go get sleep sista!!_)

Picard's peak of interest was beginning to rise. "You're going a bit fast Wesley. Perhaps you should just take your mother to the young lady in question. Unfortunately, I must remain here for the time being. Perhaps I will have the opportunity to meet the girl later." Turning to the doctor, he stated, "Beverly, go and get your medical equipment and report to the holodeck immediately." He turned back to Wesley. "Go directly back to the young lady and stay with her until your mother arrives."

"Aye sir!", they stated in unison. Beverly looked at her son then to Picard. "Captain, what do you think should be done with this girl? Should I take her to sickbay or leave her where she is for now?"

"I think you should talk to the girl first and see what's going on. Find out all you can about her so we know more of the details surrounding her arrival. Report all you find to Commander Riker, then have him see me immediately so we can discuss our views and plans of action. In the meantime, Wesley, you'll be glad to know I granted your mother's request for shore leave."

The boys face lit up in appreciation. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me." Wesley felt a little awkward as he reached out to shake Picard's hand. The Captain proudly took the boy's hand and shook it with as much vigor as he did his senior officers. Picard smiled down at him nostalgically. "I'm happy to do it. I loved spending quality time with my own mother. I have some crew evaluations that I should be working on. Please be sure to report to Commander Riker. Dismissed."

Wesley and his mother left Picard's office with a tremendous amount of determination. They weren't sure what challenges might lay ahead of them, but whatever it was, they would meet it with a strong sense of purpose.

* * *

(_**Meanwhile, on the holodeck.**_)

Julia waited patiently for anyone to come to rescue her from the situation in which she found herself. She got bored just sitting around so she decided to pick a few edible berries.

Right next to the small waterfall, there were smaller rocks and nearby them were rows of blackberries. Julia decided to pick and eat some berries. As she did, she began whistling to the tune of Brahms lullaby. It was the only song she knew from when she was a little girl. She felt a little silly singing a song that would be sung to an infant, but it felt very soothing to her.

The girl picked the berries until her fingers started to turn purple. She soon felt weary and was longing to take a much-needed rest. Walking over to the same large rock where Wesley had first seen her, she sat down. There she rested, waiting once again for someone to enter into this beautiful landscape.

As she sat all alone, Julia had many things running through her mind. 'Why am I the only one in this meadow?' There were no birds or animals of any kind either. 'And where did this Wesley person come from, and where did he go? I know he said that the meadow wasn't real, that I'm on some kind of starship, but can I believe this to be true?' The answer to that question and many more would soon be revealed.

Julia was getting antsy. Exasperated, she blurted out, "Where is he!? He promised to be back soon with help. I hate being by myself." Tears were collecting in the young lady's eyes as she sat contemplating her current circumstance.

After a couple of hours, she heard that familiar swooshing sound as Wesley opened the door to the holodeck. As Wesley stepped out, the door disappeared into the landscape behind him. He looked around for the girl and saw her still sitting on the same rock where he first found her. Wes walked up to Julia and smiled down at the waiting girl.

"Hello Julia. I'm sorry that I'm late. It took a bit longer than I thought. My mother was with the Captain of this ship, so I had to go to the command bridge instead of her lab. She'll be here shortly and I'll introduce you to her. Don't worry, you'll love my mother."

With that, he sat down on the rock next to Julia. "Julia, would you like to ask me anything while we wait for my mother?" She turned her head toward him. "I don't really feel like talking right now. Maybe we can play a word game or something."

"Sure, how about a simple ABC game? We start with the letter 'A' and keep going until we reach 'Z'. Just say a word that starts with that letter. I'll start... 'A' appendage." Julia thought for a few seconds. "Ok, mine is 'B' baseball."

"What's baseball again?" Wes looked a bit confused. He remembered hearing something about baseball in his history class, but he couldn't remember what it was off hand.

"Are you kidding me? Baseball is a favorite American past time. It's a game you play with a ball and a wooden or metal bat. There are three bases and a home plate. The players hit the ball and have to run around the bases touching each one, ending on home. The team with the most homeruns in the end wins. That's a broad definition, but you get the point. I can't believe you don't know what it is."

'She must have pretty good grades in history to remember all that.' Wes looked around the holodeck. There was plenty of room here for a game. "Yes, I remember now. Perhaps we can play sometime if you're up to it and we can get enough people to join in."

Julia liked the sound of this. They always played in the small backyard of the orphanage. To have so much room to play a decent game of baseball would be a treat. Her outlook on things was beginning to look up. The orphanage was her home and she loved everyone there, but they were never allowed to leave. The only escape from that place was adoption and that wasn't happening any time soon for her. She was too old to be adopted. Most families wanted younger children. No one wanted her, no one but the women who cared for the orphans.

"It's your turn... um, what was your name again, Wesley?" He turned his head towards her and looked into her stormy blue-gray eyes. "Yes, but you can call me Wes if you like. Hmm, we're on 'C', right? Um... cake."

"'D' then? Ok... dragon." Just then, there was another swoosh. Julia jumped slightly as she heard the doctor entering the meadow. Standing before her was a beautiful redhead wearing a white coat over her Starfleet uniform.

Julia looked her over, as Wes introduced them. The boy smiled at the young girl sincerely. "Julia, I would like you to meet my mother, Beverly Crusher." Crusher reached out her hand in greeting. The young girl felt a little reluctant and shy as she took her hand. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Crusher."

Beverly tried to make Julia feel at ease. "It's nice to meet you too, but please, call me Beverly. May I ask how you're feeling? Has my son let you in on any of the details surrounding your situation?"

"He has told me about this being a holo-what's it and that I'm on a starship, but that's a bit hard to grasp. As for how I'm feeling? Well, let's just say that this is unnerving to say the least."

"Well, I'd like to take you to sickbay to see if you were affected by what's happened here today. However, the captain of our ship asked my son and I if we'd find out some information on you first. I'd like to hear your views on what's going on. Would you mind if we ask you some questions?"

Julia was a bit unsettled due to her current predicament. However, she decided to answer any questions she could. "You may ask me whatever you'd like. I'll try to answer as best as I can."

"Thank you Julia. Can you tell me a little about yourself? For starters, how old are you?" Julia glanced at Wes, who gave her a little nod. She turned her attention back to Beverly and began answering her with a bit of reservation evident in her voice. "I just turned fourteen this past summer."

"I see... then you're around my son's age. I'm sure you two will like spending time together. This is a huge ship. You'll have a lot to occupy your time here." She sat down on a smaller rock next to the teens and thought of a plan of action. How will she get this girl to become more at ease? "Tell me about your family Julia. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

The girl's eyes darted back and forth between the two. Beverly could tell that she felt uneasy, despite the fact that she tried to be of comfort. She thought it would be easier if Wesley talked to Julia. Her eyes fell on her son, as she gently touched his shoulder and smiled. "Would this be better for you if my son asked you the questions?"

"I feel really bad about this, but I think it would be easier for me if I talk to Wesley. I hope you understand. I think because he's closer to my age; I feel he knows what I'm going through." Julia prayed silently that she wouldn't be offended. To her relief the doctor understood completely. She showed this by smiling and nodding. Turning her attention back to Wes, she chuckled. "I guess teens these days are too cool to hang out with old ladies like me. I'll be over there by the waterfall so you two can talk in private."

Wesley smiled, as he scoffed at his mom's bad joke. "No mom, you're not old. Thanks, I'll fill you in with the details when we're finished." Beverly left the two young people to talk as she hurried in the direction of the waterfall.

The boy got up and reached out his hand to his new friend. "Would you mind if we take a short walk? This rock is starting to get a bit uncomfortable." She took his hand and stood as well. "I'd like that very much." Hand in hand, they walked further away from the waterfall. (_AN: And away from that boring old rock that their author was getting tired of writing about_.)

He looked at her sincerely, concern showing in his eyes. "I know this must be hard for you, but is there anything you can tell me about what happened to you before you found yourself here? Anything at all, no matter how small, will really help me out."

"Ever since I got here things have been going around and around in my mind. I do recall seeing a huge lightning flash before I ended up here. At the time, I just figured it must have been summer lightning, but now, I'm not so sure. I don't understand how I could be on a starship. Is this some kind of secret government test run?" Wesley stopped and looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about? The Enterprise line has been around for generations. This is the Enterprise D. The 4th in its line."

"Seriously? Where have I been these past 10 years? I swear, you're thrown into an orphanage and you miss out on a lot of current events. It seems like only yesterday our government was making plans to travel to other planets in our solar system and now you're telling me that it's a reality?" Wes, more confused than ever, let go of Julia's hand. "Julia, what year is it?" Julia looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "Why would you ask me that? It's 2008."

Wesley's jaw dropped almost to his chest, as his eyes grew in surprise. "You're saying you're from the year 2008! The Captain's going to want to hear about this! I know you don't want to be left alone again, but my mother and I must report back to the Captain. Maybe we'll come by later to see you. I must get my mother and tell her what you told me. See you later, Julia."

Julia felt sorry to see him go, but felt comfort in knowing that he would return. Wesley found Beverly sitting in front of the ethereal waterfall tossing small stones in the swirling water. She stopped just long enough to see her son standing right in front of her. Beverly gazed lovingly at him and asked, "How did everything go? Do you need me to do anything?"

Slowly he started telling his mother all the things that the girl told him. As he was relaying the info about the lightning flashes she saw and the fact that she was from the past, Beverly's facial expression changed from curiosity to complete and utter shock. When he finished she told him that she would relay the information to Commander Riker so he could inform the Captain.

"In the meantime, Wes, why don't you stay here with Julia? I'll go to my lab and see if I can find some information on her." As she said this, Julia was nearing the waterfall.

"Julia, would it be alright if I scan your DNA and fingerprints into my device? It won't hurt one bit. You may feel a slight tickling sensation. I'll use this to find out who you are through our database. It's a long shot, but some orphanages in that era would take fingerprints or DNA samples of the children incase they got lost or kidnapped." Apprehensively, Julia moved closer to Crusher. "I'm a bit frightened of everything that's happened here today, but whatever you think will help, I'm willing to do."

The doctor scanned Julia's arm with her tricorder. It only took moments to get her DNA recorded into its memory. "Turn over your hand please Julia." The girl flipped her hand over and Beverly scanned her fingerprints. "This should give me a little bit more information to relay to the Commander." Wesley nodded his agreement.

"My mother has asked me to stay here with you Julia. If you want, we can talk, or we can complete the game we started before my mom's visit. Maybe the Commander will visit you after he reports to the captain. Don't be frightened about meeting him. He's a really great guy."

Julia put on a brave face, but secretly, she felt nervous about meeting another person she didn't know. The boy picked up on this and tried his best to reassure her that everything would be fine. "Be good Wesley and take care of Julia." Turning to the young girl, she looked at her with saddened eyes. "I promise, I'll do everything in my power to help you. Now I must go and do a few things."

* * *

With that, Beverly went out on her search for the Commander.She found Riker with Le Forge in engineering. They were going over some duty rosters for the following day. They stopped midway through as they spied the doctor coming toward them. Riker laid down his hollopad and walked over to greet this welcome interruption. "What can I do for you doctor? Is everything all right?"

Beverly looked him square in the eye. He listened intently as she relayed everything about the girl and the unfortunate accident that her son's experiment caused. "Jean Luc asked me to tell you to report to his ready room immediately."

"I'll go talk to the Captain right away. What will you be doing meanwhile?" She motioned with the tricorder that was still in her hand. "I'll be in my lab going over the results of Julia's blood and fingerprints scan."

"Very well Beverley. Report what you discover directly to me or Captain Picard." Beverly bid Geordi and Riker farewell as she made her way back to the turbolift and headed for sickbay.

"Geordi, I'm afraid you'll have to continue this without me. Something's come up." The engineer smiled at his superior. "Understood Commander. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"There may be. I'll have to wait until I get the full story, but we may need everyone's help on this one from what I can gather. I'm on my way to talk to the Captain. See you later Lieutenant."

Riker left Le Forge in engineering and made his way towards Picard's office. The events of the day were flipping repeatedly in his mind. 'I feel so bad for the girl. If what she told Beverly is true, she's been torn away from everything she knows, everyone she knows.'

As the turbolift stopped on the bridge, Riker disembarked. Walking up to the Captain's ready room, he considered what should be done with Julia. 'She can't stay in that meadow forever. She may be getting hungry. Perhaps the captain would let me take her to tenforward to get a bite to eat.' He stopped in front of the door and announced his presence. "Come number one." Riker opened the door and stepped inside.

_**Again, sorry that this took so long. I have several of the other chapters partly completed. Let's hope that we can keep each other motivated to continue working together. At least Christina says I'm getting better at this writing thing. Let's hope I have many more chapters and new stories to come.**_


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